What it teaches
Don't let the title fool you: this is a serious pattern book in a playful wrapper. Grandmaster Murray Chandler collects the classic checkmates that decide countless games, from the back-rank mate to the smothered mate and the queen-and-bishop attacks against a castled king, and shows each one in its simplest form and then in real games. Knowing these patterns by sight is what lets strong players see a winning sacrifice in seconds.
Short chapters, big diagrams and a light tone keep younger readers engaged, and every pattern comes with puzzles to test yourself.
Who it's for
Kids from around seven or eight up, and the parents learning alongside them. Adult beginners get a lot out of it as well; the patterns are exactly the same at every level.
How to get the most from it
Learn one pattern per sitting, set up the positions on a board, then try to reach that pattern in practice games. Kids love naming the mates when they spot them, which makes the patterns stick.
Key takeaways
- Most games between improving players end with one of a few dozen mating patterns.
- Seeing the final mate first makes the sacrifice that leads to it easy to find.
- A weak back rank and a king without escape squares are warning signs.
- Learning patterns by name makes them easier to remember and spot.
Read next
Chandler later wrote follow-ups for young players in the same style. For a deeper catalog of mating patterns, move on to The Art of Checkmate, and for more puzzle practice try 1001 Chess Exercises for Beginners or Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess.
